by Christopher McMillan Newly elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised billions of dollars in infrastructure spending to Canadians, part of his platform for “real change.” It’s time for Trudeau to put our money where his mouth is and finally support sustainable economic growth in BC.
In light of the latest BC Ferries debacle, today, more than ever, is the time to make a real change to our highway system. Can you guess what occurred on the first day of yet another service change that brought North Island Princess back to the Saltery Bay-Earls Cove route?
The vessel, which was built in 1958, broke down, leaving hundreds of people stranded on one side of the crossing or the other. All of this on a day where Powell River was covered in a thick blanket of fog, prohibiting Pacific Coastal Airlines from keeping to its schedule.
The cost of servicing our landlocked community increases each and every year due to fuel, wage and maintenance costs of an aging fleet of ferries. The only solution implemented so far has been to cut those very services, leaving thousands of people stranded in the process.
We could embark on a new road to economic success through tourism. To do so would take some redistribution of tax dollars, which we currently spend on an antiquated ferry system, and possibly, more important, some forward thinking.
How will tourism increase with such a project? The answer is simple: easier access at an affordable cost, combined with the natural beauty of the area.
The proposed road would link Paradise Valley in Powell River with Squamish and bring a vast number of people to our beautiful town, which would definitely stimulate commerce and tourism in our region.
Upgrading existing logging roads would create many well-paying jobs, just as the project to upgrade Sea to Sky Highway prior to the Olympics in 2010 did. Economically, the beauty of this project is that many of its components are already in place, from Highway 99 to forest service roads.
Infrastructure spending is now a reality in Canada and investing in projects such as this is important for sustained economic prosperity. The decisions we make today to invest in our province will affect what we can access, where we can travel, and shape the future of BC.
The current system is costly and broken. It’s time to push for our freedom. Let’s lobby for our share of those federal infrastructure dollars and build a road with a toll. We can increase tourism and grow our local economy. We will be paying for them either way.
Chris McMillan was born and raised in Powell River and is extremely happy to be back in town after 20 years living in the Sea to Sky corridor. McMillan is general manager of Pacific Point Market.
